Art50!

The North Dakota Art Gallery Association (NDAGA) and the North Dakota Council on the
Arts (NDCA), with support from Starion Bank, organized two exhibits to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the North Dakota Council on the Arts. The exhibits display the artwork of 50 North Dakota artists, as well as the work of the exhibit curator. One of these exhibits is displayed in the Heritage Center, and the other is a touring exhibit that will travel the state during this anniversary year. This catalogue highlights the work in both exhibits.

As we enter our anniversary year, it is good to remember how the agency was founded. Two years after national legislation created the National Endowment for the Arts in 1965, the North Dakota state legislature established the North Dakota Arts and Humanities in 1967, as an official agency of the State of North Dakota. In 1980, the oficial name was shortened to the North Dakota Council on the Arts.

During NDCA's fifty years, it has provided varied services to the citizens of North Dakota. The agency addresses the need for creativity in public education and enhances arts education. NDCA increases the economic impact the arts have on our state and on local communities, improves the wellness of our citizens through the use of arts programming, preserves our cultural heritage through folk and traditional arts mentorships, and enhances the quality of life for all of our citizens.

We would like to thank the North Dakota State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts for funding our state agency for the past 50 years. Thank you also to Starion Bank for their continued support of the arts.